The sport of surfing has existed for many years and continues to be a popular diversion for those people fortunate to travel within range of any ocean coastlines. Surfing continues to grow in its attraction to young people as well as the older people who wish to retain that youthful vigor for life. However, while it is merely a pastime for some, it is taken quite seriously by others. In fact the avid surfer will often be equipped with a selection of several sleek and dynamic surfboards.
One of the problems with the sport of surfing is the cumbersome shape and size of the surfboard. During use, the beach is a vast available store area. However, when not in use, the surfboard is impractical to store away-even temporarily. Like snow skis, surfboards are difficult to transport in vehicles without some arrangement of open windows or raised hatches. The problem is further exasperated at surfing social hangouts where the surfers arrive with boards in hand. The storage of the boards is often sloppy at best.
The conventional method for storing multiple surfboards indoors is through the use of wall supports. Generally the wall support consists of one or more bays defined by a series of wooden dowels placed horizontally into vertical surfaces leaving a cantilevered portion exposed, which in turn, forms the sides of each bay. Sometimes the dowels are mounted on a manifold piece of wood, which manifold is mounted to the vertical surface. In the alternative, the dowels themselves are mounted directly in to the wall. In either case, the surfboards are then stowed away by standing them in a longitudinally vertical position against the wall in between a corresponding set of dowels.
While the dowels are effective to some degree, they do not permit the most efficient and effective storage of surfboards. Because of the generally loose fit of the bays between each set of dowels, the surfboards are prone to sliding down or falling over. In addition, where additional bays are desired, they are not so easily provided. Additional dowels must be mounted into the wall or additional manifold pieces must be obtained which generally are only available with a preset number of dowels. As a result, the system is not very flexible in accommodating a change in the number of bays required.
It would therefore be a novel improvement to provide a surfboard storage system that is more efficient and effective in the organized storage of surfboards. In particular, there is a need for a system that grasps the rim of the surfboard in such a manner that it is easy to remove the surfboard, yet sufficiently constructed to prevent the surfboard from sliding down or falling over. In addition, it would be a novel improvement to provide a surfboard storage system that is easily expandable while capable of variable use.